langley



S. G. LANGLEY.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION men 050.13.1916.

1,323,194. Patented. Nov. 25, 1919.

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I 6 0432i Da /A STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAM G. LANGLEY, 0F MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 25, 1919.

Original application filed June is, 1912, Serial in. 704,338. Divided and this application filed December 13,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAM G. LANGLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Maplewood, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to switches and more particularly, to an improved automatic switch which is especially adapted for con trolling circuits carrying heavy currents, this application being a division of my application Serial No. 704,338, filed June 18, 1912, entitled Means for charging storage batteries, which has resulted in Patent No. 1,215,309, dated February 6, 1917.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient switch of this type, which comprises few parts and which is positive in its action to efi'ect the making and breaking of the circuit controlled thereby;

My invention also includes the combinations of elements and details of construc tion hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a clearer understanding of my invention, attention is directed to the draw ing accompanying and forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side-elevation of my improved automatic switch with the contacts closed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the contacts open;

Fig. 3 is a vertical view atright angles to the view of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 41 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, reference character 10 represents a supporting member which may be made of a single piece of sheet metal and which has a horizontal portion 11 and upwardly extending vertical portions 12 and 13. The supporting member 10 supports the parts of my improved automatic switch and may be secured to any suitable base member 15. If the base member is of conducting material, the supporting member 10 is preferably insulated therefrom, but if the base member is of in-.

Sulating material other insulating means are Serial No. 136,782.

insulated therefrom, and the core 25 having a winding 27 surrounding it and insulated therefrom. The ends of the cores 24 and 25 which are farthest from the portion 13 are provided with projecting pins of nonmagnetic material constitutmg guides for an armature 30 of soft iron which is elongated in form and has openings near its ends to receive the guides 28 and 29. The armature 30is provided with a member 31 preferably of non-magneticv material secured at right angles thereto and extending horizontally through an opening 32 in the upright portion 13, the said uright portion 13 thereby constituting a gui e for the member 31. On the portion of the mem ber 31 which extends through the upright portion 13 a collar 33 or other suitable means is provided for limiting the movement of the armature 30 away from the cores 24 and 25 of the electro-magnets.

On the upwardly extending portion 12 of the supporting member 10 a contact 34.- is mounted and suitably insulated therefrom. The contact surface of this contact faces the end of the member 31 which extends through the opening 32 on the upwardly extending vertical portion 1.3. The contact 34. is preferably a metallic disk or block and is provided with a reduced portion 57 extending through an openin in the upright portion 12, and with a t readed stem 97. The threaded stem is provided with a nut 35 which cooperates with the disk or block 34 and with insulating washers to hold the contact in place on its support, and with washers 36 and a nut 35 which afl'ord means for connecting the contact 3-1 in circuit with a conductor 93. On the upright portion 12 is also mounted a spring contact 37 which consists of an elongated portion and end portions 39 and 38 bent back approximately parallel to the elongated portion when the contact is in closed position. The portion 38 of the spring contact 37 is secured to the upwardly extending vertical portion 12 by any suitable means, as for example, a bolt and nut 40. At the end of the portion 38 an inturned projection 42 is provided which cooperates with a slot 41 in the upright portion 12 to position the contact against rotary displacement around the bolt 40. The head of the bolt 40 00- operates with a Washer to connect the contact in circuit with a conductor 67, the latter being in circuit with conductor 93. The end of the portion 39 of the spring contact 37 is split into a plurality of parts or fingers which constitute contact faces cooperating with the contact 34, and insure adequate contact therewith. On account of the resiliency of the spring contact 37, the portions 38 and 39 tend to spring out of parallelism with the elongated portion of the spring, and thereby move portion 39 away from the contact 34 as illustrated in Fig. 4. When, however, the windings 26 and 27 are energized, the armature 30 is attracted toward the cores 2% and 25, and the contacts 37 and 34 are forced into closed position by the end of the member It is to be observed that the entire len 'th oi the spring contact 37, including 1 went back portion 39, is effective it: exerting pressure against the actuating member 31, and that, on account of the shape of the spring, this pressure is great when the armature 30 is in contact with or nearest the cores 24 and 25. The bent back portion 39 contributes materially to forcing the armature 30 away from the cores, which effectually overcomes any tendency of the armature to stick to the cores.

When the magnet windings 26 and 27 are energized, the armature 30 is attracted to the cores 24 and 25, contacts 37 and 34 are closed by the action of the member 31 secured to the armature 30, and the circuit through conductors 67 and 93 is closed. Upon breaking the circuit through the magnet windings 26 and 27, the resiliency of the spring contact 37 forces the armature 30 away from its core and separates contact 37 from contact 34, thereby breaking the circuit through conductors 67 and 93.

iVhile I have described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the size, form and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit-of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In apparatus of the class described, a

contact, and a spring contact member having a turned over end portion adapted to be engaged with said contact by flexing said member, said end portion being split to form a flexible contact face and being biased by said member to a of engagement with said contact, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a supporting member, a; pair of clectro-magnets supported horizontally thereon, an armature for the electro-magnets, guiding means for the armature, a fixed contact. a movable contact unattached to said armature and cor'iperating with said fixed contact, said movable contact being normally biased out of circuit closing position, and a horizontally disposed extension on the arn'rature adapted to engage the movable contactand force it into circuit closing position when the electro-magnets are energized, substantially as described.

In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a stationary contact, a sprin contact mounted to cooperate therewith and normally biased out of contact therewith, a member located to engage said spring contact to move it into circuit closing position and including an arn'iature, an electro-magnet for moving said member into contact engagino position, substantially as described.

4. n apparatus of the class described, an

- electro-magnet, an armature for the electromagnet, guiding means for the armature applied to the core of the electro-magnet, a fixed contact, a movable contact unattached to said armature and cooperating with said fixed contact, said movable contact bei normally biased out of circuit closing posltion, and an extension on the armature adapted to engage the movable contact and force it into circuit closing position when the electro-magnet is energized, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a stationary-contact, a spring contact mounted to cooperate with. said stationary contact and normally biased out of contact therewith, a member located to engage said spring contact to move it into circu1t closing position and including an armature, and an electromagnet for moving said member into osition in which it is out contact engaging position, said member be- 3 ing biased by said spring contact to a position in which the armature is in spaced 

